..:: Make Career as Pastry Chef in India ::..
What is it about?
A pastry chef, or patissier, is the Willy Wonka of professional kitchens. She creates delicious cakes, pastries, pies, cookies and breads. In a hotel or restaurant kitchen, they occupy the pastry substation and are responsible for creating products that are as pleasing aesthetcially as they are to taste. Though the job requires long hours on the feet, a pastry chef gets to employ his creativity to the fullest and come up with tantalising creations, making it a satisfying profession.
Working hour for a Pastry Chef :-
- 7 am to 10 am: Reach the kitchen
- 6.30-10 am: Breakfast buffet. Check breads and desserts for freshness
- 10 am to 3 pm: Check for and prepare a la carte orders or orders for the day's banquets, if any
- 3 pm: Lunch
- 3.30 pm to 9 pm: Work on the dinner buffet and individual orders. Also prepare menu for the soon-to-be-open pastry shop at the hotel 9 pm: Day ends.
The Payoff for a Pastry Chef :-
- Start as a junior chef(In a 5-star hotel or high-end restaurant or stand-alone bakery): Rs 10,000/-
- After 2-3 years, senior cook: Rs 15,000/-
- Bakery supervisor: Rs 25,000/-
- Senior supervisor: Rs 30,000/-
- Junior sous chef: Rs 40,000/-
- Senior sous chef: Rs 45,000- Rs 48,000/-
- Pastry Chef: Rs 50,000/-
Skills required to become a Pastry Chef:-
- Creativity - it is a field for those with an artistic bent of mind.
- Attention to detail.
- Customer service - some pastry chefs may supply other businesses with baked goods, while others may serve their confections at their own neighborhood shops. No matter who their customers are, pastry chefs need people skills in order to establish thriving businesses.
- Stamina - It’s a satisfying but physically demanding profession
requiring long hours on the feet. For most, the day begins before – dawn.
Patience: Baking can be a long process, so patience in this field is a big requirement. - Punctuality - All hotels/restaurants plate and deliver before - prepared products on the table within a few minutes of being ordered. If you prepare goods on order, you have to ensure the cake reaches the customer fresh, cooled down and well in time.
How do I get there?
As it is a specialised field, a degree/certificate course in baking after class XII is ideal. However, many chefs believe hands-on training works as well. You can get on-the-job experience while doing an apprenticeship programme or learn the ropes after doing a degree in hotel management. The latter gives you a holistic view of all departments in a kitchen and is required if you wish to one day be promoted to the position of executive chef.
Institutes & URLS:-
- Institute of Hotel Management, Training and Nutrition
- STEP programme at The Oberoi hotels
- National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology
- Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology
- Culinary Institute of America
- The French Culinary Institute, New York
Pros & Cons for a Pastry Chef:-
- Creatively satisfying.
- Scope for endless experimentation and innovation.
- The job can get mentally and physically exhausting.
- Your work place always smells heavenly.
- Travel opportunity.
- Good salaries and job perks.
- Need to start very early in the morning.
